Agartala: Tripura Police arrested eight Bangladeshi nationals at the Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport in Agartala, thereby foiling their plans to travel to other parts of the country.
The arrests of the eight males were made in two intelligence-led operations on June 26 and June 27 after Airport Police received specific intelligence inputs.
Inspector Susanta Deb, Officer-in-Charge of Airport police station, said they had received credible information that four Bangladeshi nationals will arrive at MBB Airport on June 26 to board a flight to another state.
“Acting on the intelligence, and with the assistance of MBB Airport staff
, we successfully apprehended all four persons,” Deb said.
During interrogation at the Airport PS, police obtained fresh leads.
Acting on the fresh information, police conducted another operation at the airport on June 27 and arrested four more Bangladeshi nationals.
Four of the accused were produced before a court on Sunday, and the remaining four are in police custody. A five-day remand of the latter has been sought for further interrogation.
According to preliminary investigation, the arrested persons intended to travel to Guwahati. However, their complete travel plan is being looked into.
Investigators are also trying to find out the route through which they entered India and whether an organised network facilitated their infiltration and onward movement.
“The route they used and the persons involved are being verified. We expect to gather more information during police remand,” Deb said.
Personal belongings of the accused, including mobile phones, have been seized.
Tripura shares an 856-km international border with Bangladesh, on three sides.
The Indian government recently launched pilot projects for Smart Border Management in Tripura, aimed at strengthening surveillance and enhancing border security through the use of advanced technology.